In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic shifted life online. For many young men, a demographic already vulnerable to feelings of loneliness or isolation, the online world became a place to find community and belonging.
At the same time, social beliefs around gender roles continued to shift, leaving some young men unsure of where they stood, according to masculinity researchers.
Some social media creators seized the opportunity to educate and destigmatize, teaching followers about the importance of mental healthcare and creating safe spaces for discussion.
Others, like YouTuber Andrew Tate realised there was a gap they could fill by appealing to a demographic of confused or lonely young men.
Even better, the groundwork had already been laid out for them. There was an audience of young men who were ready, eager even, to hear what they had to say.
Now, Tate’s ideology is appearing offline. Teachers, like Amanda (name changed for privacy reasons), report students discussing misogynistic content in the classroom.
“Kids would be kind of joking about Andrew Tate, and a lot of the girls in the class would be visibly uncomfortable,” said Amanda, who substituted for a combined grade seven and eight class in Belleville, Ontario.
“It just kind of got to a point where I thought, okay, I really need to address this because I don’t want them thinking that he’s a good person,” said Amanda.
In September of 2023, one video of an interaction between red pill streamer Sneako and his young fans took the internet by storm. Red pill is a term used within the manosphere, a collection of online spaces where extreme misogyny is normalized or encouraged. Here, it refers to Sneako’s misogynist and transphobic beliefs.
In the video it’s a good, old-fashioned, night at the ballpark. Holding tightly to beverages and balancing snacks from the concession stand, fans make their way through the bustling stadium at a Miami Marlins baseball game.
Among them, a group of young boys is clamouring for the attention of their hero. If they’re lucky they might get a chance to say hi and come away with a story to tell their friends at school tomorrow.
They’re not there for an autograph from their favourite athlete on the Marlins, however. Instead, Sneako (government name Nico Kenn De Balinthazy), is holding a quick meet and greet with his young fans.
Sneako posts video content on the streaming site Rumble, and is known for promoting racist, homophobic, and sexist views.
In the video, taken September 16th, a young boy poses for a selfie with Sneako.
Bouncing up and down with glee and grinning ear-to-ear the boy yells, “Andrew Tate! F*ck the women! F*ck the women!”
Cutting in, Sneako says, “No, no, we love the women.”
The young boy responds, his eyes carefully watching Sneako for approval, “We love women but not, like, transgenders?”
Two other young boys jump in to add, “F*ck gays,” and, “All gays should die.”
A slightly stunned but smug Sneako faces the camera, asking with a smirk, “What have I done?”
After the video caused mass outrage from viewers, Sneako posted to his X account (formerly Twitter) writing, “They are children and obviously joking. This is how I was at 12. If it sounds egregious to you, blame the rainbow flags in their classroom.”
Sneako then shifted the blame to the media for emasculating men and forcing an “obvious agenda,” before ending the post with, “BOYS WILL BE BOYS.”
After decades of progress for women’s rights, perhaps most surprising was the apparent ease with which young men and boys glommed on to the vitriol spread by creators like Tate and Sneako.
Part of the danger, experts say, is that many young men who find themselves following misogynistic content creators online don’t intend to search these accounts out.
Instead, they stumble across creators who advertise themselves as experts on men’s mental health, fitness, financial success, or dating advice.
Some of these creators may be producing helpful and supportive content. However, the aggressive algorithms used by social media platforms can quickly direct users towards “self-help” content from creators such as Andrew Tate.
Tate’s rise to fame was built on his podcast-style videos posted to social media sites like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. A self-proclaimed misogynist, Tate promised to teach men how to be men, with the not always subtle inference that being “a man” would lead to the women, fast cars, and opulence Tate surrounded himself with.
Tate’s content often promotes rape culture and misogyny. Rape culture refers to a society or environment in which prevailing social attitudes justify or normalize sexual violence.
While Tate is 34 himself, he claims to prefer women aged 18-19 because he can “imprint” on them. He has been vocal about his belief that all women are meant to have children and are worthless otherwise.
In 2016, Tate filmed a video where he called women who weren’t virgins, “used goods,” and asked why a man would want something “second-hand.”
In 2017, as part of a Twitter rant about the Harvey Weinstein case Tate stated that, “If you put yourself in a position to be raped, you must bear some responsibility.”
While Tate was being investigated for charges of sexual assault and human trafficking, he moved to Romania from the United Kingdom. He stated that the reason for his move was his perception that the country’s laws were more amenable to sexual misconduct and assault.
“I’m not a rapist, but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want. I like being free,” Tate said.
After his ban from most social media platforms, Tate converted social media views into profits in the form of Tate’s online academy, ‘The Real World’, formerly known as Hustler’s University.
On the landing page of ‘The Real World’ is a message from Tate. “They tried to censor me. They failed. With our new independent platform, I can finally teach things I never could before. 100 per cent uncensored.”
The site promises the ability to scale from zero to 10,000 dollars in profits per month, “As fast as possible.” The Guardian reports that approximately 100,000 users pay 49.99 USD a month for access to “The Real World,” Tate’s teaching platform.
A banner on the sign-up form states, “Escape the Matrix.”
In the 1999 hit, The Matrix, Keanu Reeves’ character Neo is given the choice of the red pill, or the blue pill. If he takes the red pill, Neo will be awakened to reality, but if he takes the blue pill, he will continue to live life in the matrix, unaware of the truth.
Terminology from The Matrix has been adopted into the repertoire of conspiracy theorists, misogynist and incel groups online, to represent the “truth” of the world.
According to the U.S. based think tank New America, alt-right and misogynistic groups including pick up artists (PUAs) men’s rights activists (MRAs) The Red Pill and Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW) all use the terminology.
To these groups, the red pill signifies, “That men do not hold systemic power or privilege. Instead, they awaken to the “truth” that socially, economically, and sexually men are at the whims of women’s (and feminists’) power and desires,” according to New America.
Tate popularised the term “red pill” within the manosphere. The manosphere is a collection of online spaces such as Reddit or social media where extreme misogyny is encouraged or normalised.
Robert Lawson studies sociolinguistics and construction of identity among young men at Birmingham City University in the United Kingdom.
When it comes to the manosphere, “We’re not just talking about sort of quite a niche kind of part of the of the Internet. We’re talking about one that’s really well established, that has a lot of sway. Big audiences, big readerships, big engagement,” says Lawson.
The use of “red pill” in the context of Tate’s world describes his belief that men are meant to be in power by nature of their dominant gender, with women naturally subservient to successful, “alpha” men.
Along with being taught Tate’s ideology, members of ‘The Real World’ are told they can earn money through methods like mastering crypto-currency or the recruitment of others.
The Guardian reports that boys as young as 13 are enrolled in The Real World.
Jump to Chapter 2: Where else is Tate appearing?